Effective altruism is built on the simple but unsettling idea that living a fully ethical life involves doing the most good one can. In this course you will examine this idea's philosophical underpinnings; meet remarkable people who have restructured their lives in accordance with it; and think about how effective altruism can be put into practice in your own life.

From the lesson

What is the Best Cause?

How do you get the most value for your charitable dollars? How can you compare different causes to each other, and how do you compare different charities to each other? The guest in this week is Elie Hassenfeld from GiveWell, an organization that tries to find the answers to these questions.